About the Course

The web-based curriculum, CFS: A Primer for Allied Health Professionals provides a general overview of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and specific information concerning the care of persons with CFS. The material was developed for allied health care professionals, particularly those working in the behavioral (psychologists, marriage and family counselors, psychiatric nurses and social workers) and rehabilitative (physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, personal trainers, chiropractors and massage therapists) disciplines. The information is also applicable to physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who have primary responsibility for diagnosis and management of CFS.

The average completion time for CFS: A Primer for Allied Health Professionals is 2.5 hours, which is also the maximum amount of continuing education (CE) credit available. Participants have the option to earn CME, CNE, CEU or CECH credits free of charge. We ask that you review the course information below before registering for the course.

This program provides information for use in clinical practice. Feedback on the course content and its usefulness is welcomed; please note your observations in the comment section of the course evaluation. For those who wish more in-depth information, references follow the course material.

Privacy Information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)and the CFIDS Association of America, co-sponsors of the Provider Education Project, are committed to protecting your privacy. During the registration process for this online course, you will be asked to share personally identifiable information, which is collected by the CFIDS Association of America through a web-hosting company. This information is necessary to document continuing education data and course participationand is shared only with specific departments of the CDC when required for documentation purposes. We do not sell, share, rent or distribute this information to external organizatons or individuals under any circumstances. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of all organizations involved with this online educational offering.

Faculty and Credentials Objectives Instructions CE Credits Accreditation Copyright

Faculty and Credentials

This educational module is based upon curriculum content from the primary care provider education project, jointly sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CFIDS Association of America. Experts in CFS and allied health also contributed to the development of the program’s content. Please see the development team page for a complete listing of program advisors.

Origin Date:  7/1/2006
Expiration Date:  6/30/2009

Goal Statement
The goals of this educational activity are to offer a general overview of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and provide information that is valuable in the clinical setting.

Course Objectives

1. Define CFS according to the 1994 Case Definition.
2. Explain the diagnostic process for CFS.
3. Identify management strategies for CFS.
4. Recognize the wide-ranging impact of CFS.

Course Instructions
1.  REVIEW
Review course information on this page.

2.  REMOVE POP-UP BLOCKER
Before you register, please disable your pop-up blocker. Since the pop-up feature is used several times during the course, we would recommend that you add www.clinicalrounds.com and www.cfids.org to your trusted sites. If you have any questions, please contact 704.364.0466, ext. 118 or e-mail meded@cfids.org.

3.  REGISTER
Online registration (secure) will require verification of professional licensure, registration and/or certification number (medical, nursing, physician assistant, social work or other health care discipline), and demographic information (used for evaluation purposes within the parameters of the course). Please see the privacy policy for more information.

4.  CHOOSE A COURSE
There are currently two courses offered by the CFS Provider Education Project on chronic fatigue syndrome. The course described here, WB3151, is designed for allied health professionals and the second course, WB1032, is designed for primary care providers with a focus on diagnosis and management. Registered participants have the option to take either course for CME, CNE or CEU credit; however, CECH (Certified Health Education Specialist) credits are only offered for CFS: A Primer for Allied Health Professionals.

5.  READ
The course features an up-to-date curriculum, two case studies, downloadable booklet on Assessing and Documenting Impairment in CFS and additional fact sheets on CFS. Added features that are not required for credit include links to CFS research and resource materials that are available from the CDC and the CFIDS Association of America.

6.  COMPLETE LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Following the course, participants are given two opportunities to score 70% or higher on a learning assessment and are also required to complete a course evaluation. At that time, a certificate can be printed. Please note that all certificates are issued after evaluation of participant’s registration requirements. The amount of CE credit may vary and is determined by the actual length of time participants spend on the materials. Please see the continuing education section (below) for more information.

7.  REQUEST
After the participant successfully completes the learning assessment and evaluation, they may print a certificate. Please note that all certificates should reflect actual time it took to complete course materials, but will not exceed the approved length of 2.5 CME, 2.8 CNE, 0.2 CEU and 2.5 CECH credits. Should you have any questions regarding the certificate, please e-mail meded@cfids.org.   

8. RETURNING USERS
Participants have the ability to log-out of the curriculum at any time, allowing participants to work at their own pace. Participants are required to enter their user ID (e-mail address) and password to access the self-study module each time they revisit the course materials and test/evaluation pages.

Continuing Education Credits
In order to earn continuing education (CE) credits, participants in this learning experience must complete:

1. Core content and associated supplemental graphics/pages
2. Two case study reviews
3. Learning Assessment
4. Course evaluation

Participants are given two opportunities to score 70% or higher on the post-course and are also asked to complete a course evaluation. At that time, a certificate can be printed.

Accreditation 

Continuing education qualification is determined by the organization from which you are licensed. The best way to determine if any of the credit categories listed below apply to your discipline is to contact the licensing organization directly. Most states and organizations have their own set of regulations; CME (physician and non-physician), CNE, CEU and CECH, all of which are offered for this course, are generally accepted nationally.

CME Credits
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and CFIDS Association of America. CDC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CDC designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.5 hours in category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

CNE Credits
This activity for 2.8 contact hours is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is accredited as a provider of Continuing Nursing Education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Note to Nurses: CDC is accredited as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation. ANCC credit is accepted by most State Boards of Nursing.

California: The California Board of Nursing will accept CDC’s ANCC credit for self-study courses. However, they will not accept ANCC credit for courses offered within the state of California. When applying for re-licensure using ANCC credit, write-in “ANCC self-study.” A provider number is not needed.

Iowa: Courses that are presented via "live" distance learning technologies, such as teleconferences or satellite programs, must be covered by an approved Iowa provider if they are attended at a site within Iowa. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

However, courses taken as self-study over the Internet, are acceptable if they are either covered by an approved Iowa provider, granted special approval, are approved by the ANA (or ANCC), the NLN, the NFLPN, NAPNES, or if they are approved by a board of nursing in another mandatory continuing education state.

Reference: IAC 655, Chapter 5 - 5.2(2)f(i)

CEU Credits
The CDC has been reviewed and approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The CDC has awarded 0.20 CEUs to participants who successfully complete this program.

CECH Credits
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is a designated event for the CHES to receive 2.5 Category I contact hours in health education, CDC provider number GA0082.

Copyright Statement
The content in the continuing education curriculum WB3151 is public domain. Any copyrighted materials are identified using publication references (citations).